Famous Gym with 28 Branches Nationwide Closes... Controversy Over 'Meoktwi' Scandal

"Refund Difficult," One-Sided Closure Notice Sent via Text
Victims File Multiple Complaints... Police Launch Investigation

A famous chain gym with 28 branches nationwide suddenly closed down, leading dozens of victims to report to the police that they suffered 'meoktwi' (fraudulent disappearance) damages.

According to a Yonhap News report on the 12th, the Gimpo Police Station in Gyeonggi Province received a series of complaints from victims claiming they were defrauded of membership fees at two A Gym branches located in Janggi-dong and Gochon-eup, Gimpo City. By 4 p.m. that day, 33 complaints had been filed with the police, including fraud charges against Mr. B, the representative of the gym brand. The amount of damage ranged from as little as 500,000 won to several million won per member. In addition to members, employees and related businesses reportedly suffered wage and unpaid receivables damages.

Starting from the 8th, A Gym sent group text messages to members at each branch stating, "The company, which operated a total of 28 branches nationwide, has been completely separated, the brand has disappeared, and all have been sold," and "Operations are impossible, so refunds are difficult," unilaterally notifying them of the closure. Victims claim they received such messages suddenly while refunds for memberships had been repeatedly delayed.

Gyeonggi Gimpo Police Station exterior view
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In particular, the Gochon-eup branch in Gimpo City reportedly recruited members before opening, but the opening was delayed and eventually the branch closed without ever opening. The official website of the gym is currently inaccessible. The gym mainly operated around Ilsan, Paju, and Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province, and it is estimated that thousands of victims suffered similar damages at other branches outside Gimpo.

After news of the gym's closure spread, posts complaining of damages continued on local mom cafes. The gym has been heavily criticized for encouraging personal training (PT) and membership registration until just before closing. The gym also sent text messages informing users that some branches had been transferred to other companies and advised them to use other centers, but gym users have opposed this and are showing signs of organizing collective action.

A representative from the Gimpo Police Station told Yonhap News, "Reports are continuously being received both online and offline, and we plan to quickly assess the damage situation first," adding, "We will first examine whether the gym was directly managed or operated as a franchise, investigate the operational structure, determine responsibility, and collect evidence related to the charges."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.